This invention relates to a bulldozer, and more particularly, to an arrangement of conduits for a tilt cylinder of the bulldozer.
As is well known to those skilled in the art, the blade mounted at the front of an endless track type bulldozer must be angled or tilted with respect to the ground during normal dozing operations. Generally, a hydraulic cylinder is used to tilt the blade. The hydraulic cylinder is most often mounted on the push arm connected to the blade for advancing and retracting the blade with respect to the bulldozer frame.
The hydraulic control valve for regulating the flow of fluid to the tilt cylinder is normally located in the operator's compartment on the dozer frame. Hydraulic conduits connect the tilt cylinder to the hydraulic control valve. Unless protected, the hydraulic conduits can be readily damaged by debris such as rocks and trees encountered by the dozer during its normal operations.
To protect the conduits from damage, the conduits are routed from the tilting cylinder through a passage formed in the push arm and emerge at the rear of the push arm at a trunnion pivotally connecting the push arm to the track frame of the dozer. Heretofore, the hydraulic conduits have either been routed about or through the trunnion. When routed about the trunnion, special covers had been required to minimize the probability of the conduits becoming damaged from debris; however, even when covered, debris has found its way into the portion of the machine through which the conduits are routed, and has damaged the same. Even when routed through the trunnion, damage to the flexible conduits has occurred due to chafing and torsion produced wear occasioned by the relative movement between the push arm and track frame.
In present designs, the hydraulic conduits pass through the track frame and hence into the main frame of the dozer. The conduits are routed through the main frame to the hydraulic control valve. Since, the track frame is spaced from the main frame, the portion of the conduits spanning the space must be protected from damage. Further, since the track frame pivots relative to the main frame during operation of the bulldozer, the protective means, for the portion of the hydraulic conduits spanning the space between the track frame and main frame, should withstand the relative motion without being damaged thereby.